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One Parent Families Scotland become an SFHA Supporting Associate

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SFHA is delighted to welcome its newest Supporting Associate, One Parent Families Scotland. Flexible Childcare Services Scotland (FCSS) is the operational childcare provider at One Parent Families Scotland and works with Abertay Housing Association to provide childcare services specifically designed to meet the needs of the community in the Fintry area of Dundee.

FCSS has been created to challenge the inflexibility of traditional childcare provision and to ensure equity of early years’ and childcare experience for all children and families.

Operations Director at FCSS, Susan McGhee, said of the arrangement with Abertay:

“Working together in this way helps both of our organisations achieve our aspirations around supporting the local community. It’s a simple and effective way to deliver additional services for local children and families.

“We are grateful to the team at Abertay for enabling us to deliver our services in Fintry and hope to work with other housing associations to extend our services to families in other areas around the country.”

One Parent Families Scotland first identified a need for more flexible childcare services when some of the parents they supported were unable to take up offers of employment due to a lack of high quality, flexible, accessible and affordable childcare services.

The team at FCSS have created a new and innovative flexible childcare delivery model offering their childcare services on an hourly basis so families pay only for the care they need as opposed to having to book and pay for set sessions. The service also offers crèches, homebased childcare, wrap around care, drop-offs and pick-ups, and out of school care.

One Parent Families Scotland also delivers family support services in Dundee, including parent support, family activities and advice on money issues and things affecting health, education and general wellbeing. The Family Support team can also help with more difficult things like relationships with ex partners and family members, court cases, meetings and appointments.

This range of services and the partnership with Abertay ensures maximum impact for the local community and has seen huge benefits for local families. Here’s what one of the service users had to say about the difference using Flexible Childcare Services Scotland has made to her life:

“Because of flexible childcare I am able to work and attend training. The ease of being able to book just what you need is amazing and the staff go above and beyond to help with requests. Dropping my daughter off at night is one of the most useful things ever and I wouldn't get this elsewhere.

“As a single, disabled parent being able to go straight home from work is amazing and gives me 20 minutes to get the tea on and a cuppa in peace. My daughter is so settled with flexible childcare I can't see her anywhere else.”

The arrangement with Abertay includes provision of premises at minimal cost to One Parent Families Scotland and working with the Flexible Childcare and Family Support teams to provide benefits for their tenants, improving quality of life, enabling tenants to take up employment and enhancing opportunities for children and young people.

Abertay Housing Associations Chief Executive, Ian Thomson, said:

“I am delighted that One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS) have become commercial associates of SFHA. Abertay and OPFS have been working in partnership for over eight years now, providing services to enhance the quality of life in our communities. A lack of affordable childcare had been a major problem for years. The service OPFS has set up addresses this in a very practical way, and is proving of real benefit to many families.”

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